Saturday, May 10, 2014

It felt like we had traveled to another country. From kangaroos at our back door to pelicans at our front door. From a lake full of rainbow trout to a lake full of fresh farmed oysters. A family road trip for two blissful weeks in Forster, Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie.

There's a very friendly atmosphere in caravan parks. Walking by neatly spaced out caravans and campervans you always get a cheery hello - just like in small towns where you say "g'day" to almost every person that passes you by.

We arrived home on a holiday high and had grand plans of selling everything we own and buying a caravan and traveling around Australia for a year. After some number crunching we realised it's not as cheap as we thought. Also, where would I put all my crafty stuff? What about the veggie garden? Could we have a mobile veggie garden growing in the trailer? Okay, we can't take the trailer. Oh that's right, I really just want to move to a property where we can have chickens. Could we just go camping in the school holidays? Yes, this seems like a much better idea.

But there are some major issues in the camping community. Caravan parks have moved towards attracting more clientele by catering for younger families with
facilities such as games rooms and jumping pillows and the entry fees
reflect these "extras." Many grey nomads have invested in upfront costs in self sufficient
caravans and motor homes and rely on free or low-cost camping areas which are under threat. Both types of camping styles would make it fun yet keep holidaying affordable, except for the initial cost of a second hand camper van, yikes!

For now the shorter and colder Autumn days has brought us back to reality and we are busily preparing for the frosty winter ahead. And next summer? Perhaps a "staycation" will be our only choice.

Do you stay in caravan parks? Are you an RVer? Have you been affected by any of these issues?